Nintendo drops Wii U $50 due to poor sales (1 Viewer)

[Brian Dobbs]

I will probably wait until the Christmas 2014 shopping season to get this. I'm guessing they'll probably lower the price then.

 

[Bryan^H]

Ok, so Mario Kart 8 is released this week. Awesome, it will be great.
I had a long talk with my friend who is a very dedicated Nintendo fan, and also very smart about business in general. While he will be purchasing Mario Kart also, he said something very cryptic "enjoy it because this will be the last big Wiiu game" I asked him what he meant, and he informed me that Nintendo's unwillingness to cross over to online multiplayer with friends, and the awkward way Nintendo handles online at all will be the final straw for consumers, and while the WiiU may last through the holiday season, he seemed to think it will be over for the system early next year. He also noted a rumor about Nintendo already well into the design stages of their new system(as powerful as the PS4).

I agree about the online thing but not sure about the future of the WiiU. Anyway I can't wait to play Mario Kart 8.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

All of that is BS.

First off, Mario Kart will have online multiplayer. Second, pretty much the second a console comes out, the company will start work on their next console. Sony and MS already have stuff being worked on for the next generation after the PS4/XBO, but Nintendo has had a 1 year head start. Nothing will be announced any time soon. Third, at least a new Smash Bros. and Zelda will come to the Wii U, along with most likely a StarFox, Metroid, and a couple more Mario games.

 

[Bryan^H]

I know it will have online multiplayer. Playing with friends online is the important part to me. From The IGN review:
"Chat is restricted to lobbies with friends only. There’s no option to invite friends into a game, and Mario Kart 8 also doesn't provide message notifications." So playing with friends will be a chore online.

Smash Brothers is the next big game if it doesn't get lost in the shuffle for the holiday season. Many of the big PS4, and XBox One titles are released in that timeframe. I haven't heard a thing about A new Zelda game except for the Koeii Dynasty Warriors knockoff featuring Link in the Hyrule kingdom...which I don't think is a good idea.

I love my Wiiu, I think it is a geat system. but to be perfectly honest, I own it for the first party Nintendo games only. I would never buy any game I could get on my PS4 for the WiiU, especially with the awkward online friends thing. It is arcahic in that manner, and Nintendo needs to remedy that soon to make it a viable contender with the other systems.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I also own a Wii U for primarily Nintendo's stuff, but I also owned a 360 for just MS' stuff (which, frankly, wasn't much of consequence, really).

They announced a while ago that they're making a new Zelda and there's been a lot of leaks and rumors, but they haven't officially said much. The big rumor now is that they'll show it off at E3. Also, at any given moment, assume Nintendo is working on almost every single franchise they have, whether they've announced anything or not.

 

[LeoA]

Wii U already has a big release for later this year after Mario Kart 8 that has long been confirmed. And that's Super Smash Brothers 4. The outlook after this year is more cloudy, but hopefully E3 clears some things up. Hoping to see Zelda U be unveiled, hopefully a surprise or two, and some lesser but still exciting things like maybe a few HD remasterings of GCN/Wii classics, further expansion of the Virtual Console on the Wii U, retail releases for Wii Sports Club and NES Remix 1 & 2 like Japan is getting, and a domestic release for Fatal Frame U.

But even if Mario Kart 8 was the end, I'm happy.

I would never buy any game I could get on my PS4 for the WiiU, especially with the awkward online friends thing.

I would if the game depended on the d-pad since Nintendo still makes the best d-pads. DuckTales Remastered comes to mind for an example where I'd go for the Wii U version, all other things equal.

I even bought Mega Man 9/10 on the original Wii, despite Nintendo's lock to the hardware instead of an account DRM scheme and the Wii being 480p only, just for the sake of playing each with a Nintendo quality d-pad.

 

[Bryan^H]

I want the WiiU to succeed more than anything. I never cared for the Wii, and the Gamecube was just sort average...but I loved the Nintendo 64, and every system prior. I love the Wiiu Gamepad, and so far the games are amazing. I have no doubt that if Nintendo opened the creative floodgates for new first party games(think of the glory of 8-bit Nintendo) and not just the biggest names(Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Mario) we would see Nintendo start to even the playing field of system sales.

 

[LeoA]

Too bad that the Metroid franchise is just a modest performer. Outside of the original Metroid Prime, it has never been a runaway sales success despite a diehard fanbase and critical acclaim.

I'd love to see a Wii U Metroid, but Wii releases via backwards compatibility and the Virtual Console will likely have to suffice for Metroid action on the Wii U.

I'd love to at least see Metroid Prime Trilogy get a HD remastering along the lines of what Wind Waker got last year. Kind of hoping that gets announced at E3.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Rumor has it that Retro has been working on either a Metroid Prime 4 or Trilogy HD remaster, similar to Wind Waker. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo started remastering their GameCube and Wii classics in HD and announced a handful at E3. They said the process for porting Wind Waker was extremely quick, like 6 months, and they developed software that converted content from GameCube to Wii U automatically. I also wouldn't be too surprised if they license this tech to some of their close partners, though I'm not sure who exactly would have a classic to port up.

 

[DaveF]

I also wouldn't be too surprised if they license this tech to some of their close partners, though I'm not sure who exactly would have a classic to port up.

Port and update Wetrix, Tetrisphere, and Beetle Adventure Racing and I'll buy a Wii U for them.

 

[laser]

Nintendo had a bad launch with the 3DS, but it recovered. Nintendo is looking to do the same with the Wii U.

Several great titles are already available for the system. Nintendo Land, Zombi U, Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD, Rayman Legends, Super Mario 3D World, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, not to mention lots of great downloadable titles.

The system's first "killer app" just came out today - Mario Kart 8. It has fantastic graphics, 12 player online (issue with friends & chat though...it's not that they couldn't do something like Xbox Live, they're just concerned about exposing children to that "culture"), and a replay editor/uploader. They'll likely be promoting it for the rest of the year, with contests, tournaments, and DLC.

Another eagerly anticipated title, Bayonetta 2, will release this summer. That will be followed by Super Smash Bros. 4 in the winter. Both of these titles are trying to woo a more hardcore audience, especially SSB4, which will have a special "For Glory" online mode built-in, and a wired GameCube controller adapter for Melee fans.

The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be shown at E3 a couple of weeks from now. Nintendo has been hyping their E3 showing more than usual this year, and have stated that they'll show both soon-to-be-released titles and early-in-development ones, so expect a couple of surprises.

Nintendo's got plenty of money in the bank. They have what it takes to recover.

Oh, and I got my Wii U at launch. Dat Pikmin 3!

 

[LeoA]

All that has been said about the next Zelda is that it's underway, a few veiled hints, and that they'd have more to say about it at E3. Has never been said that it would actually be shown.

I'm hoping it will be 2015's big Wii U release (And likely its last major 1st party release), but I wouldn't be surprised if it's quietly been transitioned to a next generation launch title for what rumors suggest will be a combined handheld/console ecosystem for their next generation hardware come Fall 2015 or 2016.

3DS was never this bad off and had started on the path to recovery by the Fall of its first year after the price drop and when the stream of software started to pick up pace. Wii U is fast approaching its 2nd anniversary. The window of opportunity for this to be a commercial success has sadly closed.

But thankfully, I'm here for the games and don't care all that much about the business side. And at least where 1st party releases are concerned, the Wii U has delivered.

 

[Bryan^H]

As expected Mario Kart 8 is amazing. IT's all about fun folks. No other video games make me feel like I'm a kid again while playing them. That is the magic of Nintendo!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The handheld/console rumors are complete BS. It was literally some random guy posting the idea somewhere then pretending it was a rumor when it was completely made up. Nintendo openly said they have no plans to introduce new hardware until the Wii U has run its cycle and, frankly, a hybrid portable system is really really stupid. There's no economical way to engineer that and have it look decent.Zelda won't be pushed to the next gen. They showed off the dynamic demo when they revealed the Wii U and, while it wasn't anything more than a proof-of-concept for graphics and the tablet, it was basically a promise that the game is coming to this platform. They'll show it at E3 and it will likely be a fall 2014 release or spring 2015. They tend to show video of games within a year of launch, unlike MS and Sony who aim for the same decade.

 

[laser]

All that has been said about the next Zelda is that it's underway, a few veiled hints, and that they'd have more to say about it at E3. Has never been said that it would actually be shown.

I'm hoping it will be 2015's big Wii U release (And likely its last major 1st party release), but I wouldn't be surprised if it's quietly been transitioned to a next generation launch title for what rumors suggest will be a combined handheld/console ecosystem for their next generation hardware come Fall 2015 or 2016.

BS all. Zelda was originally meant to be shown last year, but they put it off until this year, likely to put other titles in the spotlight. The series producer, Aonuma, flat out said Zelda will be at this year's E3. Not only would it be a major letdown if all we get is a screenshot or concept art, but they HAVE to show it, not only to confirm to fans and investors (the latter is especially important given their recent losses) that they're still committed to the Wii U, but they have almost nothing else major already announced and not heavily discussed. It's hard to build hype with only blind speculation and already known information, like we have for Smash (special all-Smash direct recently) and Bayonetta (summer release, detailed gameplay video already shown).

The only hardware that will be shown at E3 is the GameCube controller adapter (unless the Vitality Sens...yeah right!). It doesn't look like they're having a press conference this year (again), and platform reveals demand that kind of spectacle. Besides, not only are there still quite few cards to for Nintendo to play regarding the Wii U (improved online, GameCube VC, price drops, NFC figurines, that once-mentioned 2-GamePad feature, Galaxy-quality Mario), but they recently merged their console & handheld divisions, and that likely temporarily slowed the next platform's development. That kind of talk is just a bunch of silly "dudebro" yammer.

 

[LeoA]

The Zelda tech demo was just that. They were showing how a classic Nintendo franchise might look in HD. It wasn't a demo of this upcoming product, but rather a more recent version of things we've seen in the past like the Space World Zelda demonstration when the GameCube was announced that had zero bearing on what we now know as Wind Waker.



And there's a ton of evidence that Nintendo is moving towards a combined ecosystem. Lots of quotes, Nintendo merging their handheld and console development teams, and the logic in it all.

Wii U's troubles are well documented of course. But the 3DS is selling a fraction of its predecessors, isn't seeing near the 3rd party support that past handhelds saw, got off to a very rough start, and the mobile/casual business that did so much for the DS has just about left completely leaving most of the activity centered on console style releases. And all the while, general purpose mobile devices are just getting stronger and will be even rougher competition next time around.

Only makes sense to try to increase the commonality with both lines which will both come due for replacement right around the same time for the coming generation to save their console business, bolster their threatened handheld business, and counter their weak 3rd party support. They can't afford to continue spreading Nintendo's own development resources, which are largely what's keeping both lines going, across two completely different product lines now that 3rd parties are largely not filling the gaps.

It isn't coming from a single individual's keyboard. There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that we're going to see a merging of the ways with Nintendo's next generation line. It may or may not be a system that doubles as a handheld and a console in one package, but at the very least, I'm confident that both lines will run the same code and share the same guts like the processor.

Look for it in the Fall of 2015 or sometime in 2016 at the latest. I believe that we're still going to get Zelda U next year, but it's hardly out of the realm of possibilities that it may instead be re-positioned.

Console quality Zelda's are barely sneaking in before the console they appear on is all but dead. Twilight Princess barely made it to the GameCube, Skyward Sword was the last major Wii release, and Zelda U will, in all likelihood, be the Wii U's swan song where major 1st party releases are concerned in Fall 2015 when it's likely slated for release (We know of no other major 2015 projects, we know more is supposed to be said at this E3, and Nintendo likes ~18 months or so to hype console Zelda releases for all they're worth)..

Not nonsense that it may instead now be an early release for their next generation hardware and reset that timing for the franchise so it can do more good for Nintendo's install base and maximize its benefit. Unless they utilize an evolution of the PowerPC processor line for their next generation hardware, I wouldn't expect a repeat of Twilight Princess (which saw a Wii launch port alongside its belated GameCube release) if this happens.

I don't think that will happen to Zelda U, but it just might.

 

[laser]

The Zelda tech demo was just that. They were showing how a classic Nintendo franchise might look in HD. It wasn't a demo of this upcoming product, but rather a more recent version of things we've seen in the past like the Space World Zelda demonstration when the GameCube was announced that had zero bearing on what we now know as Wind Waker.

Big difference between the GC demo and the Wii U one - the former was shown at Spaceworld, which is a Nintendo-only show for Japanese audiences, and the latter at E3, which is the most important video game trade show in the world. They released that demo fully aware that it would make people drool over it and EXPECT something similar, in the future, for that system. The GC demo got most of its notoriety after Wind Waker was revealed...

Nintendo has never, EVER even hinted to its investors that a shift in tactics for short-term profit is looming. The negativity you have stems from American analysts who don't grasp Nintendo's Japan-centric strategies, and misinformed (all it takes to get great visuals out of the Wii U is extra effort, which is offensive to the giant third-party publishers) graphics-obsessed "dudebros".

I'm not a Nintendrone, mind you. I picked Xbox 360 over Wii, and will get an Xbox One when the price drops to at least $350. But at this point in time, Wii U has what I want.

 

[LeoA]

The two demos are the exact same situation. They were both for the initial public unveiling of each platform to give the public an idea of just what the system was capable of with a popular Nintendo franchise.

The Space World demo is precisely why everyone was initially so shocked when Wind Waker with its cell chased cartoon style graphics was unveiled later on and why you really shouldn't read too much into that early Wii U tech demo. Zelda U may or may not be a lot like that demo, but it was still just a tech demo rather than a demonstration of this project. We've had zero evidence that says otherwise.

In fact, I think if you ask around, an awful lot of people rather expect Zelda U to return to cell-shading. Experimenting with past art styles in HD and Nintendo's pleasure with how well Wind Waker translated is exactly why that ended up being commissioned as a full fledged release to tide over Zelda fans. Read into that what you wish...

And as for my negativity, I'm not sure just how I was being so negative. I'm exactly the opposite and see a lot of promise for Nintendo and their future. Many have been far too quick to write off Nintendo, especially as a hardware manufacturer, just because of this short stretch as far as I'm concerned.

And I love my Wii U despite knowing the 3rd party situation going in since I love Nintendo's exclusives. So I happily acquired it last Fall as my first entry in the current console generation and I'm completely satisfied beyond a slight technical issue I've experienced and annoyance that Wii U gamepads can't double as Classic Controllers (Especially for off-screen gamepad play for something like my VC N64 downloads).

That said, I have no doubt that it will likely see something new taking its place in 18-36 months that will share a great degree of commonality, if not even be an all in one device with mobile and tv out capabilities, with the successor for the 3DS which will be coming due for replacement right around that time.

With the softness of the Wii U market, I don't believe that it's unrealistic in the slightest to expect 3-4 years as its reign as Nintendo's premier home console. If it's replaced in the Fall of 2016 like I'd bet on happening, it's only 12 months short of what is typically viewed as the average lifespan of a console. Hardly objectionable nor unreasonable for a commercial failure.

If anything, in light of Wii U's commercial performance, it's on the generous side especially if we're still seeing quality releases through 2016 (Unlike the typical trend since the N64 where Nintendo releases all but disappear as a prelude to a new system launch since they shift focus to developing next-gen releases well in advance of a launch).

And I'm simply open to the possibility that the never officially announced Zelda U might sadly have been re-positioned. But I'm still hoping and going under the assumption that the Wii U won't be the first Nintendo handheld or console to not have its own dedicated Zelda release (Only the Virtual Boy, which doesn't really fit in either category, has so far lacked such a release).

But if the lid isn't taken off it fully at E3 with an eye towards a Fall 2015 release, I'll be expecting the worst.

 

[LeoA]

Heck, if you still don't believe me about that tech demo, read this.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01/23/new-hd-zelda-revealed-for-wii-u

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Nintendo openly said that the tech demo for the Wii U Zelda was just a tech demo and not indicative of a game under development when they showed it. As to why you're discussing it, I'm not sure.Wind Waker was released in the middle of the GameCube's lifespan. Twilight Princess was a launch Wii game. I'm not sure what your point here is.The 3DS is selling extremely well. I believe it is selling as well as the DS did at this stage in its life, if not better. I have no idea where you got your ideas from.A hybrid mobile/console platform doesn't make sense for a bunch of reasons, primarily an engineering one. The most advanced portable gaming system right now is the PS Vita and it is not as powerful as a PS3. Nintendo touts the Wii U as more powerful than PS3. So even with a couple years of development time and assuming they could get something midway between a PS3 and PS4 (or 360 and One, if you like) for raw power from a portable device, that would still not really be a satisfactory home console. You can't have a base station that it plugs into to suddenly give games a better framerate or more polygons. Further, that's not Nintendo's style.The closest thing would be a release of a new handheld AND a new console around the same time that work together in a similar fashion to the PS4 and the Vita. But even then, they'd be better off shoehorning that in to the Wii U and the 3DS. You know, like they are doing with the NFC figurines and the 2 new Smash Bros. games.There is not 1 single bit of real substantiated rumor behind the "fusion" console.